Hello! My name is Cara McKay and I am thrilled to be teaching second grade at Chapin Elementary. This is my second year teaching second grade at CES. I graduated from the University of South Carolina with my bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a minor degree in Psychology. Go Gamecocks! I was born and raised in Irmo, South Carolina and I attended District 5 schools from kindergarten to twelfth grade. I was also raised in a family of teachers with my mom being a high school teacher and my grandma having been an elementary school teacher. As a result, from a young age I dreamed about following in their footsteps and becoming a teacher too. Last summer in 2022, I got married to my husband and we are enjoying getting to experience newlywed life together. This summer, we welcomed our new pup, Pongo, to our family. I also have a fraternal twin sister who moved to Washington, D.C., so we are still adjusting to being apart from each other. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, traveling, reading, visiting coffee shops, and spending time with my friends and family. I have a passion for learning and I especially love learning about and teaching reading and social studies. I love getting to know my students as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, and historians. Let’s have an awesome year in second grade!